To make swimming or diving easier there are various accessories, such as foot fins and swimming gloves, for swimmers to wear. Conventional swimming gloves are either made of a relatively inflexible material that hinders the hands or fingers from free movement, or are made in such forms as to cover tightly the whole palm and wrist so as to make the wearer feel uncomfortable and awkward.
The inventor has reviewed the construction of the swimming gloves proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,004,684; 2,304,010; 4,058,863; 1,014,939; and 3,257,673; as well as those taught in Italian Pat. No. 683004 and French Pat. No. 1514778.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,004,684 shows a swimming glove having fingers joined together by flexible imperforate webs, an imperforate plam portion, a back face with rectangular opening, and an elastic wrist band adapt to fit the wrist of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,010 shows a swimming mit having four finger stalls and one thumb stall, the finger stalls and thumb stall being connected by intervening webs; wherein the finger stalls and thumb stall have base ends provided with integral reinforcing strips with are connected to a circular header adapted to seat against the back of the hand of the wearer; the circular header is also provided with tie strings to be tied around the wrist of the wearer for securing the swimming mit in position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,863 shows a swimming glove having five digit receiving portions including finger receiving portions and a thumb receiving portion, each digit receiving portion being interconnected to one another by a plannar web portion; the swimming glove is provided with a wrist encircling portion adapted to fit around the wrist of the wear so as to secure the glove onto the hand of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,014,939 shows a hand attachment for swimming, having fingers formed in one piece of rubber material, each finger being provided with holes shaped to allow the knuckles to move freely when the hand is shut, the attachment being connected to a wrist band with straps, the wrist band being adapted to fit around the wrist of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,673 shows a swimming glove which is similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 1,014,939, except for the web formed with a plurality of fore and aft grooves in parallel with the fingers and thumb. This patent also employs wrist band 13 connected to the thumb with a pair of straps, so as to secure the glove onto the wrist of the wearer.
Italian Pat. No. 683004 shows a swimming glove having four fingers and one thumb connected with webs, the fingers and thumb being further connected to a wrist band with straps.
French Pat. No. 1514778 shows a swimming glove with a wrist band.
All of the swimming gloves of the abovementioned patents are provided with a wrist band or a wrist encircling member for securing the glove onto the wrist of the wearer. As the wrist band is connected to either the fingers or the thumb of the glove by straps or by an integral part of the glove, movement of the fingers or the thumb of the wearer is still restrained.
In view of the aforesaid problems with conventional swimming gloves, this invention offers an improved swimming glove that allows the hand and fingers of the wearer to move more freely and to further minimize the uncomfortableness and awkwardness of the wearer.